Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Chairman praises departing Interior Secretary
THE BULLETIN
Posted Jan 23, 2013
MASHPEE —
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Chairman Cedric Cromwell has praised U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who recently announced he will depart this position in March.
The Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is now reviewing the Tribe’s land in trust application for a resort-style casino in Taunton. In addition, the Wampanoags are now renegotiating a state compact with Massachusetts for the proposed casino, which will have to be approved by BIA.
“Secretary Salazar has done an admirable job and has consistently implemented the [President Barack] Obama Administration’s commitment to Indian Country, self-determination, and tribal sovereign rights,” Cromwell said in a writtent statement.“While we will miss his leadership, we are confident that the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s strong relationship with the Department of the Interior will continue uninterrupted, and that much of our work concerning land in trust will in fact be completed before Secretary Salazar’s departure.”
The BIA recently completed its initial review of the Tribe’s land in trust application and said the Office of Indian Gaming expects to complete its final analysis on the initial reservation exception by the end of this month. The initial reservation exception, found in section 20 of the Indian Gaming Act, is one of the few exceptions to a prohibition on gaming on lands taken into trust after Oct. 17, 1988. It is expressly intended for newly recognized tribes, like the Mashpee Wampanoag, who do not have a reservation.
The BIA rejected the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s initial state compact last fall because too much money from the proposed casino would go to the state and not enough to benefit the Wampanoags. In addition, the compact addressed issues beyond the scope of gaming – such as the tribe’s hunting and fishing rights and land claims.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has given the Tribe until March 15 to renegotiate this compact before the MGC decides if it will open up a commercial bidding process for a casino in the area known as Region C.
The Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is now reviewing the Tribe’s land in trust application for a resort-style casino in Taunton. In addition, the Wampanoags are now renegotiating a state compact with Massachusetts for the proposed casino, which will have to be approved by BIA.
“Secretary Salazar has done an admirable job and has consistently implemented the [President Barack] Obama Administration’s commitment to Indian Country, self-determination, and tribal sovereign rights,” Cromwell said in a writtent statement.“While we will miss his leadership, we are confident that the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s strong relationship with the Department of the Interior will continue uninterrupted, and that much of our work concerning land in trust will in fact be completed before Secretary Salazar’s departure.”
The BIA recently completed its initial review of the Tribe’s land in trust application and said the Office of Indian Gaming expects to complete its final analysis on the initial reservation exception by the end of this month. The initial reservation exception, found in section 20 of the Indian Gaming Act, is one of the few exceptions to a prohibition on gaming on lands taken into trust after Oct. 17, 1988. It is expressly intended for newly recognized tribes, like the Mashpee Wampanoag, who do not have a reservation.
The BIA rejected the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s initial state compact last fall because too much money from the proposed casino would go to the state and not enough to benefit the Wampanoags. In addition, the compact addressed issues beyond the scope of gaming – such as the tribe’s hunting and fishing rights and land claims.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has given the Tribe until March 15 to renegotiate this compact before the MGC decides if it will open up a commercial bidding process for a casino in the area known as Region C.
Read more: Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Chairman praises departing Interior Secretary - - The Bulletin http://www.wickedlocal.com/mashpee/news/x1233671143/Mashpee-Wampanoag-Tribe-Chairman-praises-departing-Interior-Secretary#ixzz2J5SvMg4I
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